McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Wednesday its president and chief operating officer, Yasuyuki Yagi, has stepped down to "mark a new chapter" for the company.
The operator of the hamburger chain said it has not decided on a successor. Chief executive Eiko Harada will handle Yagi's role in the meantime.
The surprise announcement came less than a month after the death of the charismatic founder of the Japanese franchise, Den Fujita.
The departure of Yagi, a 30-year veteran, will probably enhance the influence of McDonald's Corp. of the United States.
Ikuno Fujii, the company's chief corporate relations officer, told a news conference that Yagi offered his resignation Tuesday. He quoted Yagi as saying he wants to leave the company in the hands of new management.
The company announced strong first-quarter results Monday, and Yagi said he wanted the occasion to be a turning point, Fujii said.
She said Yagi will act as an outside adviser to the company for a year, and denied there was any friction between Yagi, a Fujita protege, and the current management headed by Chairman Pat Donahue, sent by the U.S. firm last year.
Yagi, 53, joined McDonald's in 1974 after graduating from a college in Tokyo. He became president in March 2002.